Suzanne Louise Duce1
1College of Life Sciences,
Clubfoot
(CTEV) in humans is a malformation which affects about 4-in-1000 births; its
aetiopathogenesis is unknown. We undertook a 3D μMRI study using 7.1T
Bruker spectrometer, of a pma mouse model that has clubfoot-like hindfoot
malformations. Wild-type and pma mouse musculoskeletal anatomy were compared.
The pma hindfeet displays similar abnormalities (eg supination) to human
CTEV. Embryonic hindfoot developmental studies showed initiation of pma
hindfoot rotation is often delayed compared to wild-type, is slower and does
not reach completion. If our results were extrapolated to humans, it supports
the hypothesis that CTEV is due to incompletion foot rotation and angulation.
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